A few weeks ago, Crystal Ball Run shared with you the curious case of Bubba Starling.
A two-sport star out from just outside of Kansas City, Starling had one of the toughest decisions of any freshman in college football this fall. No, it nothing to do with choosing Natty Lite vs. Coors for his first frat party, but instead where his athletic future lied.
On the one hand, Starling was at Nebraska, set to compete for the Cornhuskers backup quarterback job behind Taylor Martinez. He enrolled in the summer, took classes and had worked out with the team in the offseason.
On the other hand though, Starling had the potential to make millions (no worries, he wasn’t involved with Jim Donnan’s Ponzi scheme), as one of the top prep baseball players in the country. Starling was the No. 5 overall pick in last June’s Major League Baseball Draft by the Kansas City Royals, putting him in position to sign a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract. As Crystal Ball Run said at the time, Starling’s decision essentially came down to, “For the love of the game, or straight cash, homey?”
Well on Monday, Starling made his decision. He chose the cash, and chose baseball, signing a three-year $7.5 million contract with his hometown team, just minutes before Monday’s 11:00 p.m. signing deadline. Starling’s football career is essentially over.
Late Monday, Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini released a statement, showing a bit of humor on the subject:
“Everyone associated with our football program at Nebraska wishes Bubba nothing but the best in his future with the Kansas City Royals organization. I know this decision has been very difficult for Bubba and his family, as it would be for anyone in his position. In the end, Bubba was in a win-win situation regardless of his choice, and we respect the decision he has made. I personally will root for Bubba in every game except when he plays against the Indians!”
First off, let’s get this out of the way: The move was neither unexpected, nor surprising. When Kansas City drafted Starling, they knew about his two-sport prowess, and knew he could use it as leverage against them, with the threat of going to Nebraska likely causing the negotiations to come right down to the wire. Unfortunately, the Cornhuskers knew the same, and even as he signed his Letter of Intent last February, the chances of him ever making an impact on the football field were second to none. The money was too great, and the risk was too high for anyone to blame him for skipping college football all together.
Still, it is somewhat bad news for a Nebraska team that is pretty thin at quarterback.
The Cornhuskers obviously return Taylor Martinez, a freshman phenom who threw for over 1,400 yards and nine touchdowns last year, and whose best attribute, might actually be his legs. Martinez made a name for himself (and became a star), running the ball, as he finished last season with 942 yards on the ground and a team-high 12 scores. Along with Roy Helu and Rex Burkhead, Martinez was a key cog in a Cornhuskers rushing attack which finished ninth in the country.
Of course at the same time, that reckless running style clearly took a toll on Martinez. He suffered a handful of injuries as the 2010 season wore on, and after rushing for over 100 yards in five of Nebraska’s first seven games, went over 25 yards only once in their last five contests. With the chance of injury to Martinez, and the transfer of backup Cody Green to Tulsa, had Starling stayed in Lincoln, he was expected to right in the mix as Martinez’s back-up. Now, the Cornhuskers only truly competent backup appears to be redshirt freshman Brion Carnes, and even he’s never taken a college snap.
For now, Nebraska remains the favorite in their respective division of the Big Ten, and may be the conference favorite overall.
But there’s also no doubt that having one of the top incoming quarterbacks in the country on their roster, certainly could’ve helped this fall.
Follow Crystal Ball Run on Twitter @CrystalBallRun
